Involvement with a disease and primary care utilization

Abstract

Abstract Is it possible to predict from the attitdues toward diseases the likelihood of primary care utilization? Moreover, considering that an attitude is frequently defined as comprising three main elements: the affective, cognitive and instrumental (1, pp.36–37), is one of these elements predominant in determining the likelihood of medical helpseeking, or does the tendency to seek a General Practitioner's help vary in accordance with the degree of one's involvement in a disease in terms of all three elements? This latter would be similar to a recently identified pattern of engaging in preventive behaviour (2).** We believe that understanding the conditions under which attitudes toward diseases will enhance prediction of actual therapeutic behaviour may be of theoretical as well as practical significance. From the viewpoint of sociological theory it may comprise an additional step in the understanding of the association between attitude and actual behaviour. It may also contribute to the theory of medical helpseeking by stressing the role played by attitudes toward diseases in primary care utilization. From the practical aspect it primarily may assist the medical community, and specifically general practitioners, in understanding the factors that underlie consultation, mainly with respect to those cases which are frequently defined as trivial. It may also elucidate factors underlying delay in helpseeking. Moreover, it may assist planners of prepaid ambulatory services in assessing the volume of primary care utilization and the underlying predominant motivating factors. Copyright © 1980, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved